There is a lot of mystery and confusion surrounding iodine’s importance and safety as a supplement, which is unfortunate since there’s so little of it in our foods. And Iodized salt is not a good way to get iodine into your system. So dispelling the misinformation and disinformation is necessary.

Iodine’s RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) is 150 mcg (micrograms) per day. Dr. Guy Abraham, who initially mentored Dr. David Brownstien, author of The Iodine Crisis and Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It, insists we should be taking in 12.5 mg (milligrams) daily. This is 100 times greater than our RDA. But it is also the estimated amout per individual intake from seaweed and seafood among Japan’s population. Japan has the lowest rates of thyroid, prostate, and breast cancer. Some might argue that the Japanese get their iodine from food, but that supplements are unsafe. (more…)

The necessity of Iodine isn’t exclusive to the thyroid, the entire body needs it. You might say that your body requires iodine the way a car requires oil — it’s simply necessary for the entire system to function properly. Many people don’t realize that female breast tissue has a greater concentration of iodine and has a special need for iodine. When breast tissue has low iodine levels, health problems can follow. Let’s take a look at the top six things you need to know regarding iodine and its impact on breast health. (more…)

The issue of iodine deficiency will be growing in importance over the coming decade. This is occurring for a number of reasons:

Iodine deficiency with goiter has historically been widespread in the U.S. (especially in the Great Lakes region). This is why iodine was added to salt.

Until recently, a lot of our iodine intake was from wheat (~ 25%).

Unfortunately, flour mills have switched from adding iodine to using bromides instead. Bromides in flour was banned in the U.K. in 1990, and in Canada in 1994, as being toxic, but the FDA still allows its use in the U.S.

As iodine and bromine (and fluorides) are all related chemically (called halides), they can act as competitive inhibitors to each other.

Because of this, we are seeing iodine deficiencies from both decreased intake, and from bromine and fluorine making the iodine you do have less effective.

The current RDA for iodine is ~ 150 mcg/day. Much of this comes from iodine added to salt. Unfortunately, most of the salt used in food processing does not have iodine, and people are using less salt at home (the stuff that is iodized) because of the misguided medical advice (except in those with heart failure) to avoid salt. People who eat more salt live longer.

An additional problem is that the addition of large amounts of unfermented soy (e.g., soy milk, soy cheese, soy protein added to food) inactivates an enzyme called “thyroid peroxidase” and can cause “hypothyroidism.” This is less of a problem with fermented soy products like tempeh and tofu. (more…)

New research shows a troubling correlation between a woman’s thyroid function and her child’s risk for autism. This video talks about a study showing that when “mothers had very low levels of thyroid hormone early in pregnancy the chance of having a kid with autism was multiplied by 4 very seldom we see these strength of association.”

The study published in the August issue of the Annals of Neurology brings crucial attention to iodine supplementation, something the medical community has recently begun to frown upon up to the point of creating a phobia against oral iodine. It was an ill designed Brazilian study that is used by doctors as a reason to stay as far away from iodine supplementation as possible. I have actually talked to a Brazilian doctor who went ballistic with just me mentioning the word iodine! (more…)

Atomic iodine, also known as atomidine and nascent iodine, is considered the safest and most effective iodine supplement available. Unlike elemental (or molecular) iodine which is toxic, this form of iodine holds its atomic structure making it safe for consumption and topical use. This atomic structure is the same form of iodine the body creates from dietary iodine, making atomic iodine a highly bioavailable supplement.

Bromide pesticides and fire retardants will wind up being the new DDT, a pesticide banned in 1972, is still present in the breast tissue of women born later than that date. If the underlying cause of thyroid, breast and other hormone-driven diseases is iodine deficiency, then bromide dominance is the underlying cause of that deficiency.